Eagles chief insists 'we were cheated'

SHEFFIELD Eagles boss Mark Aston was left seething over refereeing decisions which he feels led to two Halifax tries and cost his side a win over the fourth-placed visitors.

"I feel cheated. The outcome of the game was determined by someone who blows a whistle," he said referring to refefee Jamie Child.

"There were two tries that cost us - one in the first half and one in the second half."

A win would have taken the Eagles back into sixth place and boosted hopes of making the play-offs.

At the end of the game Aston made a point of going on to the field at Don Valley to congratulate his players on their performance.

He added: "I'm not disappointed with the boys, I'm as gutted as them. They put in 100 per cent and their attitude was fantastic. They had earned winning pay."

Aston anger was focused on the play leading up to Halifax's first half try that levelled the scores and at the referee decisions going into the crucial last 10 minutes of the game.

Before then Eagles had defended well and taken their chances against one of National League One's pace-setters.

Sheffield took the lead on eight minutes when hooker Craig Cook broke from acting half-back before enabling prop Mitch Stringer to take on the burst and crash over.. Johnny Woodcock added the goal.

Halifax levelled ten minutes from the break, stand-off Graham Holroyd produced a passing move that sent in centre Richard Varkulis. Holroyd added the goal.

The Eagles edged ahead midway through the second half when Woodcock kicked a penalty from 40 metres after Halifax prop Paul Southern had been sin-binned throwing a punch.

Sheffield produced what looked to be the crucial score following a 30-metre break by centre James Ford to set up Woodcock who added the goal then a penalty. Then the gamewas turned on its head as Halifax blasted back in the final ten minutes.

Varkulis claimed his second try and three minutes later Halifax took the lead, hooker Sean Penkywicz going over from dummy half.

Former Doncaster half-back Holroyd kicked both goals and with a minute to go Trinder added a fourth try which Holroyd converted.Matchfacts

Sheffield

Woodcock; Mills, Ford, Reid, Worrincy; Gavin Brown, Lindsay;Howieson, Cook, Stringer, Holdstock, Cocoran, Hayes. Subs: Brambani, Turnbull, Newlove, Buckenham.

Scorers. Tries: Stringer, Woodcock. Goals: Woodock 4.

Halifax

Royston; Gibson, Haley, Varkulis, Greenwood; Holroyd, Penkywicz; Southern, Hoare, Wrench, Larder, Smith, Joseph. Subs: Watson, Roberts, Trinder, Watene.

Scorers: Varkulis 2, Penkywicz, Trinder. Goals: Holroyd 4

Referee: Jamie Childs

Sin Binned: Paul Southern (Halifax 58min)

Attendance: 864.

Starman: Mitch Stringer